There are more major Hollywood stars buried
at Forest Lawn Memorial Parkthan at any other spot in the world.

It's a place that must be seen to be believed.

The
park's sheer size is overwhelming, a seemingly endless vista of rolling
green hills; over 300 acres dotted with white sculptures and quaint English
chapels.

And it is unique.

Unlike any other cemetery, Forest Lawn attracts over
a million visitors per year. Over 60,000 people have actually been married
there (including Ronald Reagan, who
tied the knot with Jane Wyman at the
"Wee Kirk 'o the Heather" chapel back in 1940). Regis
Philbin was also married at Forest Lawn.

Why?
Well, Forest Lawn isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill cemetery.
Far more than just a memorial park, it's also a museum, an art gallery,
an architectural showcase, a Hollywood tourist trap, and a religious retreat.
Even Pope John Paul II
stopped here, during his visit to Los Angeles.

Where else can you see the final resting places of
multiple movie stars, visit a replica of Rudyard Kipling's church, watch
white swans glide across a lake, see a mosaic of "The Signing
of the Declaration of Independence," view the world's largest
religious painting in a state-of-the-art theater, and discover replicas
of all of Michelangelo's major works in one place?

Forest Lawn, as we know it, was born in 1917, when Dr. Hubert Eaton,
a firm believer in a joyous life after death, took over management. He had become convinced that most
current cemeteries were "unsightly, depressing stoneyards," and
pledged to create one that would reflect his optimistic beliefs, a cemetery
that would be as unlike other cemeteries "as sunlight is unlike darkness,
as eternal life is unlike death."

Forest Lawn was designed to captivate
visitors, and it does so quite well.

The "Golden Age" Hollywood stars buried
here include some of the biggest names in the history of Hollywood:Clark Gable,Carole Lombard,Jimmy Stewart, Jean Harlow,Humphrey Bogart,Mary Pickford,Errol Flynn,Spencer Tracy...

No other cemetery can match the sheer number of superstars
that you'll find buried here at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Because of the sheer size of the park, sightseeing
here for the casual visitor interested in visiting their favorite star's
grave can be an exercise in frustration.

The grounds are so enormous that finding any particular
grave without a map is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack
. To get an idea of just how large this Glendale park is, consider that
over a quarter of a million people have been buried here. Even with a map,
trying to locate a star's grave here can be difficult.

And to make matters worse, for some reason the cemetery
refuses to give out any advice or directions when it comes to locating
celebrities.

Forest Lawn certainly does not encourage sightseeing
by movie fans. In fact, they can be downright hostile at times. I actually
saw a female employee at the entrance to the Great Mausoleum confiscate
a visitor's copy of a reference book about stars' graves.

Worse, many of the stars' tombs here at Forest Lawn
Glendale are private or semi-private. Some, such as Bogart's
and Pickford's, are hidden away in
private gardens, behind locked walls, with no entry for the public.

Others, such as Gable &
Lombard's crypts, are supposed to be off-limits to the public,
but are located in hallways which can be easily reached by anyone willing
to simply bypass a chain rope. (Let me make it clear that I don't recommend
this tactic, though; it could be considered trespassing by some overzealous
employee and might get you arrested.)

The park's aversion to loyal fans who wish to visit
the final resting place of their favorite star is particularly surprising
coming from a cemetery that is often the butt of jokes for its own flamboyant
style. And while their intentions may be noble, in my opinion, Forest Lawn's
"no-tell" policy is a true disservice to the memory of the celebrities
buried here. Most of these actors toiled all of their lives to be famous,
to become something special, to earn the love and admiration of the public.
Yet Forest Lawn's restrictive policy means that in death, these immortal
stars simply disappear into a vast, anonymous sea of gravestones...

But if you still want to go sightseeing at
Forest Lawn, here are a few pointers:

Be sure to pick up a map of the grounds at
the information kiosk when you first drive through the main gates. Their
map doesn't pinpoint stars' graves, but you'll need it just to find
your way around the sprawling park and its maze of roads. (You can
see an online map by
clicking here.)

Then, from the cemetery's
main entrance, use the map to drive to the northeast corner of the park,
where you'll find the Court of Freedom, with its large mosaic, and
a 13-foot high statue of George Washington...

It's now time to begin
our virtual tour of Forest Lawn Glendale
with a visit to the Freedom Mausoleum
(where Nat King Cole, Jeanette MacDonald & George Burns are buried)